Robert L. Weaver Music Endowment Fund
Robert L. Weaver was born on June 9, 1936, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the son of Harry H. Weaver and Lottie Zimmerman Weaver. Following his graduation from Upper Leacock High School in Leola, Pennsylvania, in 1954, he enrolled as a freshman at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, graduating in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. In 1959, he received a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and in 1971, he was granted a PhD. Degree in Humanities, with an emphasis on Musicology from Syracuse University.
Bob was educated musically from an early age, and was already an accomplished pianist when he entered Goshen College, where he studied piano with several teachers including J. Harold Moyer. He taught briefly at several colleges including Bluffton College (now University), in Bluffton, Ohio, and Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. In 1972 he was hired by Centre College, a Presbyterian affiliated college located in Danville, Kentucky, and remained on the faculty there until his retirement in 2001.
As a student at Goshen College, Bob was particularly influenced by the teaching of Dr. Mary Oyer, a professor who taught a general, yet thorough, art and music appreciation and humanities survey course open to all students. He maintained a lifelong friendship with her. At Syracuse, one of his mentors was William Fleming, author of Arts and Ideas, the standard text book that discusses the cultural and philosophical ideas that energized the art and music of an era. Strongly influenced by his experiences at Goshen, and later at Syracuse, he developed a freshman humanities course at Centre College, first offered in 1980 – 1981. It has become a required course in the Centre College curriculum. One of his colleagues at Centre has stated that there has probably never been a professor there so thoroughly knowledgeable in both art and music.
In addition to the Humanities course, he taught music history, theory and piano. He was especially remembered at Centre College for his meticulous preparation for the classes he taught. His knowledge of the art galleries and concert halls throughout Europe and his legendary planning resulted in one of Centre College’s first non-language courses abroad. He published many articles and three books on Hubert Waelrant, a 16th century Antwerp composer. He was active in professional organizations, a member of the American Musicological Society, and, for a time, Chair of the South Central Chapter of that organization.
In his younger years, he embraced the Mennonite faith and belonged to the Forest Hills Mennonite Church in Leola, Pennsylvania. From 1959 to 1961, he served with the Mennonite Central Committee in the Netherlands. In Danville, he attended the college church (Presbyterian Church, USA) where he was ordained as an elder, served on a number of committees, sang in the choir and was organist. Following his retirement from Centre College, he relocated to Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he resided at the Moravian Manor. There he became a member of the Highland Presbyterian Church, serving as a deacon, a member of the Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Committee, and choir member.
Bob Weaver enjoyed cultivating friendships and entertaining colleagues, students and friends with unassuming style in his home and beautiful backyard garden.
His generosity during his lifetime and following his death constitutes a musical legacy that will endure for years to come. Years after he left Danville to return to Pennsylvania, it was made known that he was an anonymous benefactor of the new Taylor & Boody pipe organ in the Danville Presbyterian Church. During his lifetime, he was a regular contributor to Goshen College, and a significant portion of his estate was given to fund this endowment that benefits the Music Center and the Music Department at Goshen College. It was his stated intention to help Goshen College maintain a high quality music program and an excellence in music education.
Ronald B. Schertz, ‘58
Goshen College classmate and lifelong friend